What is the best IMMEDIATE solution to the rapidly increasing gas prices?

Question

I can't afford to move, I can't sell my house in this market and I don't think I should HAVE to anyway. There is no reliable public transportation where I live.

Since this gas issue was NOT a problem of my making, and it WAS a problem of the government's making - what is the immediate solution to the problem?

Answer 1

There is no immediate solution to the increasing price of gas. This is a GLOBAL issue, not just one country. China and India's usage of crude has increased a lot. The issues in the middle east have contributed. The U.S. continues to use more and more gas. No new refineries have been build a long time, so the current aging ones have to be shut down for maintenance. And many, many other reasons why the price is increasing.



But, there are things YOU can do to lower how much you spend. If you have a long commute, find a new job closer to your home. Buy a car with better gas mileage. Drive the speed limit. Use cruise control. Ride a bike or walk if it's a short trip. If you have many errands a week, do them all in the same trip rather than spread them out. And many, many other things you can do to lower how much you spend on gas.

Answer 2

The price of a gallon of crude is being driven up not by demand, but by trading on oil futures. The rich get richer . . . The other solutions here will work as a solution to the immediate problem faced by average folks, and those who opt to ride a bike or walk are, of course, doing themselves a favor. Sadly, however, some people actually are giving up eating in order to buy enough gas to continue working. It's a mess.

Answer 3

I'm afraid none . We are competing with China, India, Europe for approx. 57 Million Barrel being produced daily. We consume 22 Million Barrels per day which is approx 35-40% of the total world consumption . We are only 4% of the world's population, and we consume so much, why? maybe because we travel vast distances, we need more public transportation, vehicles with better fuel economy, car pooling (immediate solutions), work at home 2 days a week(immediate solution). Many companies could purchasse buses to transport workers .

Answer 4

reduce consumption...if you can't afford gas to and from work every week, but still have a home and computer my guess is that your spending could use some reform...



...if you have a 401k or other investments call up the portfolio manager and tell them to divest from all petroleum related investments (if your investments have shown a gain over the last twenty years, trust me, they're in there)...



..form a community action group where you unite your neighbors to do the above...if it's not worth your time, why should anybody else care...?



...finally, lose the "it's not MY fault" attitude...until we as a nation realize that WE ARE the government, it will be all too easy to simultaneously lay blame and expect bail outs...all the while abdicating personal responsibility further and further into the hands of others.

Answer 5

The first thing that should be done is for the government to stop filling the strategic petroleum reserve and begin to sell oil from it. At these prices we will make a nice profit. The second thing that should be done is for all tariffs to be lifted on Ethanol from Brazil or any other country, we have a 50 cents per gallon tariff on Brazilian Ethanol now and it can't compete against corn Ethanol here. The third thing that should be done is introduce big incentives or subsudies to any company that develops electric cars and trucks, we have the technolgy so lets get on with it.

Answer 6

There is no "immediate" solution other than selling your car and riding a donkey to work. Also, it isn't the governments fault that oil prices are high. The market decides the price of all commodities including gasoline. Supply and demand determine the price...this is basic economics.

Answer 7

It was your choice to live where you live. It was your choice to buy the car that you own. How did you vote on public transportation bonds? Have you made it clear to candidates running for public office how necessary it is to have public transportation in your community? The immediate solution for someone who cannot walk, ride a bike, use public transportation, or move closer to work is to join or form a carpool, combine driving tasks and drive smarter and less, or buy a hybrid or lower mileage vehicle.

Answer 8

There is no IMMEDIATE solution,anything will take time,months to years.

We must increase domestic production as a first step.

Building several refineries to carry the increased production is badly needed.

We are in this fix because the enviro-whackos paid a Democrat Congress to stop oil exploration and new production,years ago.

Answer 9

On the one hand you say you decided to live somewhere with no reliable public transportation, and then you say the gas issue is not a problem of your making. Make up your mind.

Answer 10

Short term solution or long term?



Oil prices are high for a variety of reasons. First is speculation on the market. There are a lot of investors sticking money into oil hoping to make a buck and that helps drive the price per barrel higher. On top of that we have a nearly worthless dollar which inflates the price to compete with the Euro and other currencies that are doing much better as far as stability. (Oil is sold in US$ only)



If half the people dropped their stock in oil the price would come down within a week. If the dollar were strengthened the price would come down ever further. If we opened the oil reserves we could drop it even lower.



But those are all short-term and far from immediate. We could, in theory, drop the tax on sugarcane-based ethanol imports from Brazil and that would offer a fair amount of relief but that would still be temporary. There is no long-term solution outside of moving away from oil.





(Who's thumbs downing me? LOL Oil Company Execs?)

Answer 11

It is not a problem of the governments making either. Last time I looked, the government wasn't in the oil producing or refining business. The warnings about this have been there for 40 years.



I'd suggest public transportation, a bicycle or a sturdy pair of walking shoes.

Answer 12

conserve as much as possible, we all should be doing this.



This goes for using '10 strips' for all of your appliances and unplugging said strip from the wall when leaving for work, everything plugged into an outlet is drawing electricity, which is consuming energy, which is driving up energy costs.



Combining trips and working out a route to use as little gas as possible (not to mention this saves time).



Car-pooling for work, someone lives within 5-10 minutes of you most likely....



not running the A/C nearly as often....your body will adjust believe it or not.



etc, etc etc.



We cannot rely on our government for this solution, we must take this into our own hands. To me, energy is like water. There is only so much of it and if you take it from location 'a' people in location 'b' are going to want more as well. We need to conserve and starve 'the beast.' Until they see significant drops in consumption, the price will remain high or continue to increase. They are trying to feel out the market and we as a nation have yet to respond....

Answer 13

No one has a solution. That's why it will be over 4.20 a gallon in less than a month.





They say that they will give some .18 cent relief from government tax, but at the time gas will be 5.00 a gallon.





Gas prices went up 2 days ago, why? The fear of higher gas prices.

Answer 14

This isn't a government problem. It's a case of world demand growing faster than world supply. If you use petroleum products, it is a problem of your making.



There isn't much any governmant can do about it in the short term.

Answer 15

some things that the government could do to help alleviate

some of the pain are;

suspend adding to the strategic reserve.

a windfall profit tax

rescind the tax breaks that the oil co. receive.

end hostilities in the middle east.

these are things that could be done quickly and taken together will have an immediate impact.

Answer 16

You can buy a car now that burns compressed natural gas and dependeng where you live it will cost the equivalent of from .60 to 2.20 per gallon of gas. You can fill up at home.

Answer 17

Seems to me that Congress and the Senate need to pass legislation to freeze price increases of gas and to release our own oil reserves and start refining our own oil again and tell OPEC what they can do with their stupid oil. We depend completely on foreign oil because we are just sitting on ours. How stupid is that?? We can tell all those little trifling countries to get lost and sell their high priced oil elsewhere. We could somehow maybe sit on freaking Wall St. where the price of a barrel oil just keeps on going up and up and up and it goes up over stupid things that shouldn't impact oil prices at all. Just an idea there.

Answer 18

How opposed were you to drilling in ANWAR while the fights were occuring in Congress.



Seems it is obvious that this 'gas crisis' follows on the heels of the global warming hysteria that is making the rich richer and the poor poorer and we are following along like sheep.



Pathetic but if it makes you feel better: you are not alone.

Answer 19

Government is ran by the people. It is ALL OUR FAULT THAT WE PAY THIS MUCH.



For ove a decade economists, environmentalists and "liberals" were warning people. NO ONE LISTENED.

Answer 20

There isn't one just as there is no instant solution to the weakness of the dollar. The dollar gets weaker, it takes more of them to buy a barrel of oil. And, given the new 'designer' fuels like ethynol, it cost more to manufacture gasoline, gasoline which, by the way, decreases the efficiency of the average vehicle by about 10% which means that we need that much more fuel to do the same thing, which increases demand.

Answer 21

Release the oil reserves...it has worked in the past to bring the free market under control when OPEC tries to rape the consumers. And remember, prices are going up everywhere, not just in the US.

Answer 22

I already got a Schwinn bicycle, with basket attachment. I also got a nice strong helmet, arm and knee pads. I change my clothing when I get to work. I HAVE NEVER BEEN LATE TO WORK. This has saved me large monies. Peace!!

Answer 23

Drive less. Car pool, take public transportation, cancel a driving vacation, or move.

Answer 24

I THINK ONE THING WE CAN DO IS CUT FOREIGN AID TO ALL OPEC NATIONS WHO LIMIT SUPPLY. I WOULD ALSO RELEASE THE OIL RESERVES. I WOULD ALSO ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO START DRILLING IN ANWAR & ANYWHERE ELSE WE CAN GET OIL FROM. THIS COUNTRY HAS FOR FAR TO LONG HAVE BEEN HELD HOSTAGE BY THE ENVIROMENTALISTS & THEIR ANTI-DRILLING STANCE.

Answer 25

immidiate solution? allow domestic drilling, cut government subsidizing of alternative fuels, and increase nuclear usage.. it would have an IMMEDIATE impact.

Answer 26

Buy a bike OR stop meddling in other countries' affairs:)



But get ready, this is only the beginning. it will reach 200 USD a barrel:)lol

Answer 27

Stop buying it. The price of gas is based on supply and demand, and since the liberal democrat environmentalists will not allow any new domestic oil production, then the only answer is to reduce demand, and then the price will go down.



Additional: Yes, you cannot stop buying all your gas, but you can reduce the amount you buy. Which I hate doing but it is all we can do untill we can increase supply or vote out politicians that block domestic oil production.

Answer 28

Drive less, car pool, take a bus, take a train, walk, bike, buy a new car, move to Venezuela.

Answer 29

Get a bike.

Answer 30

Revolution.

Answer 31

Get a bicycle. In Holland everyone bikes everywhere.

Answer 32

stop driving, get a bike, buy a prius, take the bus

Answer 33

Get a horse.